Posterior lumbar interbody fusion, or vertebrae fusion, is a relatively common surgical procedure. Vertebrae fusion operations using traditional surgery are done outside the spinal canal and take about 3.5 to 4 hours to perform. However, the prior art procedure has a number of deficiencies. For example, a separate incision, usually in the pelvis, is required to obtain bone grafts. Posterior lumbar interbody fusions performed using traditional surgery have a success rate of about 78% and are expensive, costing the patient about $10,000.